When I heard that Behemoth was planning a tour in which they were going to play The Satanist top to bottom, I knew I had to go. I absolutely love that album, and Behemoth has yet to disappoint at a live gig. (Seriously. They have one of the best stage shows ever.) The fact that this was happening on Walpurgisnacht was, well, an added bonus. Who would pass that up?

Anyhow, I had somehow managed to forget that Myrkur was opening until a couple of days before the show. I reviewed her EP over at Burning Fist when it first came out and was really impressed with it, and just as equally dismayed by the sheer amount of hate that she got. The full-length album, M, was far less interesting to me (I never ended up getting it and I don’t really feel an aching need to), and I kind of lost track of her beyond vaguely jumping into conversations on the internet on occasion to slap people on wrist for being douchy. (Seriously. There are legitimate reasons why people are upset over Myrkur, and I understand those. But there are a lot of meatheads out there who think girls have no place in metal, and those people… can fuck off and die. But this is a concert review and that is a post for another day.)

Myrkur

Myrkur’s live performance went, for me, much like the records did. I really liked the stuff she did from the EP, and the rest I thought was a little repetitive. However, I was really impressed to see her play keyboards and guitar both, and I was glad that she got such a positive reception from the crowd. A friend of mine mentioned that parts of her set sounded a lot like doom, and I found myself agreeing with that assessment. She ended the set with a cover of Bathory’s “Song to Hall Up High,” though, and I, uh, may have gotten something in my eye…

I was happy that she played some instruments herself

Then, after a fairly lengthy pause, Behemoth took the stage. Behemoth is consistently good as a live act, but tonight they pulled out ALL the stops. In terms of just the stage show, Behemoth hauled out video screens for this one and showed video clips throughout the set, including the super creepy video for “Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel.” (If they have done this in previous times that I have seen them, I don’t recall it.) Nergal also carried out one of those swingy-ball-o-incense-thingies that they use at Mass at one point (shut up; I’m not Catholic, I don’t know what it’s called). There was also a mock Communion, and the fans in the front of the stage got to eat up a bunch of Communion crackers. Also, Orion spit blood all over a crucifix he was holding upside down at the end of “Amen.” It was more live blasphemy than you could shake a stick at, along with a mosh pit that was positively churning the entire time.

Fire: Never not a great idea

Swingy-ball-‘o’-incense-thingy

Of course, Behemoth played The Satanist all the way through, ending with “O Father, O Satan, O Sun” and coming out for the last part with the horns on like they do. (So cool.) They played a handful of other songs afterwards, however, including “At the Left Hand ov God,” “Slaves Shall Serve,” “Antichristian Phenomenon,” and “Conquer All.” It was a fantastically fun show, and my doom metal buddy was even impressed despite Behemoth not being his typical thing.

Inferno destroying everything. Seriously. He is one of my favorite drummers

Happy Walpurgisnacht from Behemoth \m/

I actually did come away with some merch for this one. It had been a long time since I had a Behemoth shirt, and I couldn’t turn down this one with the Virgin Mary on it. It also occurred to me that I didn’t have a Behemoth patch for the jacket, which seemed wrong for someone who has now seen them four times, so I got one of those as well. I also picked up Myrkur’s EP; I had had a digital copy of it before from when I reviewed the album, but when my iPod corrupted in the fall and ate all my files I lost it.

The text on the patch that you can’t read very well says “The Satanist”

April has been absolutely nuts with shows just about twice a week, and now I feel like we’re about to hit a massive dry spell (there’s some really cool stuff coming up this summer, like Swans (!) and The Body, but it’s more spread out). However, Behemoth on Walpurgisnacht is a pretty good way to end a busy April, and very fortifying for the end of the semester that I’ll be fighting through the next couple of weeks.

I’ll be back next week; I’m almost done with Nergal’s biography, so I’m planning on writing on that, as well as the new Rotting Christ (I’m still on my first listen, but my rash impulse is to say this is even better than the last, which I loved), and I still need to write that post about why you all are so wrong about Reinkaos. (I’d put a winky emoji but I feel like that’s inappropriate.)

You guys! King Diamond is going on tour! Like, really! And J gets to see him on the first date, lucky bastard.

You can check to see how close King will be getting to you on his website. And anywhere is close enough, honestly- I’m going to Chi-Town for it. I don’t really know how, yet, but dammit, I’m going to see this.

**Edited 1/30/14, because the Danes are from Denmark, not the Dutch. My bad. In my defense, I’ve had a toothache and have been on a LOT of painkillers this week.**

Klor’s self-titled debut packs a huge punch in an unassuming package. This Danish band reminds me in many ways of bands like Taake and Mgla- bands that take traditional black metal sounds and combine them in new and original ways, resulting in a fresh and alluring sound.

Although Klor utilizes a lot of distortion on this album, the chord progressions are often melodic, shifting to unexpected resolutions. The opening track, “Ancient Timer,” provides an excellent example of this technique. The result is something that sounds forest-like to me; although it’s a dark sound, it also reverberates with a feel of wonder.

Klor would probably be happy to know my opinion of that sound, considering that the album as a whole draws on a lot of woodland imagery. Songs like “Criminal Youth of the Woods,” “Helmet Overgrown With Weeds,” and the beautifully named “Ghostlip,” all evoke images of a natural setting.

Even some of the heavier pieces on the album, like “Criminal Youth of the Woods,” have some lovely parts (around 2:16 in particular). “Sunroom” uses harmonies that I normally associate with post-black metal or blackgaze, but the tempo is much faster than that particular subgenre normally is. The guitar harmonies are incredible on this track, and the eerie keyboard opening is a welcome shift in pace before the track blasts off, ending abruptly.

As mesmerizing as the pretty parts of the album are the churning, dissonant passages. “Helmet Overgrown With Weeds” makes use of this technique, wedged in between a post-black metal feeling opening and woodsy bell-tones at the end.

As I mentioned above, the wilderness feel of Klor extends beyond just the feel of the music and the song titles. The album artwork is also inundated with forest imagery, which is what drew me immediately to the album. The back cover lists the names of the songs with plants, feathers, and other nature imagery corresponding with the titles. However, the simple black and white background does little to prepare you for the inside artwork. Seafoam green and bright orange, the inside of the case is highly unexpected, as with so much of this album.

I’m told this says “Klor.”

This color scheme was rather unexpected. I really like the contrast with the black and white disc, though.

This makes my little foresty heart happy.

The production on Klor’s debut is very good; the instruments and vocals are accommodated nicely in the mix. I only could make out the words clearly at a couple of points, which means that the vocals were blending into the mix in the way that I really love when it comes to black metal. Especially since Klor is such an atmospheric album, I feel like the blending of vocals with instruments and the meticulous highlighting of the more unconventional and post-black metal parts serve the band well.

Quite frankly, I love this debut album from this little Danish band I had never heard of until recently. It’s astoundingly original and fresh- although the album draws on post-black metal/blackgaze, which is really popular right now, Klor approaches these subgenres in a new way. It’s always exciting to hear new things in black metal, especially with how popular the genre has become. Please give Klor a listen; trust me, you won’t regret it.

Hagalaz’ Favorite Tracks:

Ancient Timer

Sunroom

Ghostlip

ALSO, A special thanks to Ars Magna Recordings for sending me this album and allowing me to review it! I really appreciate your support!